New event looks to close technology gender gap

It’s no secret that there is little diversity in the biggest technology companies. Both Google and Yahoo have released reports revealing that the majority of their employees are white males. The first step in making a change is acknowledging the disparity. The second, of course, is figuring out how to address it. Well, an upcoming three-day conference looks to do just that.

The Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing is an event that will take place in Phoenix in October. The show, which is put on by the Anita Borg Institute, has been steadily growing. According to Bloomberg, more than 8,000 people have signed up for the sold-out event this year, quadruple the number that attended in 2010. The event has been held 13 times since 1994, and approximately 98 percent of registered attendees are female. Seventy percent of this year’s attendees are expected to be first timers.

The conference, named after a computer scientist and Navy rear admiral, is an opportunity for women in the computing field to gather and talk about how to further the cause of gender equity in the high-tech space.

The event comes at a time when many industries are scrutinizing gender issues related to labor and employment. The issues go beyond mere gender equality, as President Obama has recently signed executive orders that prohibit harassment and discrimination based on gender identity or expression.

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